Nintendo World Championships 1990

[bibowski]

Don't know if this was posted already, but I thought I'd post it anyways :)

link (http://cgi.ebay.ca/NINTENDO-WORLD-CHAMPIONSHIPS-1990-EXTREMELY-RARE-NES_W0QQitemZ8219419765QQcategoryZ4315QQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem)

[bibowski]

Wow, it was the first post. Man, I should just stop posting altogether.... sigh.

[jajaja]

damn.. another one? How many have there been on ebay the last few days? 4-5 ?

[captain nintendo]

Wow, it was the first post. Man, I should just stop posting altogether.... sigh.

I am pretty sure this was posted in the locked NWC thread somewhere in that mess.




damn.. another one? How many have there been on ebay the last few days? 4-5 ?

3 legit ones I know of and 2 scams. So yep 5 total. ;)

[8bitnes]

Wow, it was the first post. Man, I should just stop posting altogether.... sigh.

I am pretty sure this was posted in the locked NWC thread somewhere in that mess.




damn.. another one? How many have there been on ebay the last few days? 4-5 ?

3 legit ones I know of and 2 scams. So yep 5 total. ;)

3 scams, 3 currently up and 2 for buy-it-now at $3200 and $3500 = 8 total.

[8bitnes]

Does anyone have an NWC cart number tracking going on ??

055
083
087
137
166
215
227
240
273
280
330
343

These are the ones that either showed up on eBay or are in collector's hands...I have pics of all of them except for the first one. I'm sure that there are other people on here with a much more complete list than this, though.

-Speedy

I thought this was worth bringing over from the locked thread. 283 should also be added to that list ... it is currently on ebay.

[wrldstrman]

does anyone know the exact number of carts made did they make extra ones that didnt get used in the compitetion..and how easy would it be for someone to make repos

[portnoyd]

..and how easy would it be for someone to make repos

No.

[DreamTR]

Yeah, that is what wee need, fucking morons making repro NWCs.

[Griking]

Yeah, that is what wee need, fucking morons making repro NWCs.

I wouldn't be in the least surprised if there's already a few out there when they go for $3500+ now.

Shit, someone who posts in this very forum has a signature about something to do with NES reproductions.

[8bitnes]

Yeah, that is what wee need, fucking morons making repro NWCs.

I wouldn't be in the least surprised if there's already a few out there when they go for $3500+ now.

Shit, someone who posts in this very forum has a signature about something to do with NES reproductions.

I seriously doubt that leonk would repro a game/cart that was officially released .. although the 2006 Tecmo Super Bowl is bordering on just that.

Anyhow, this question brings to the forefront the importance of uncovering who the 90 people were who originally got a cartridge, finding out what number it was, and what they did with it so that there can be an official tracking list of legitimate ones should another happen to pop up.

By the way, wouldn't it be easier to repro the gold version since there was no numbering system used? Also, I know little about it, but wouldn't the dip switches require a repro person to make his/her own ROMs as well as own a NWC cart in order to figure out the specifications of what those ROMs would have to look like. Certainly no one is just going to give that sort of information away b/c it would drive the value of their NWC down.

[captain nintendo]

Any other NWC auctions come up fake or real , post them here so we can track them. Hopefully the real ones we can get the numbers off of.

[portnoyd]

By the way, wouldn't it be easier to repro the gold version since there was no numbering system used? Also, I know little about it, but wouldn't the dip switches require a repro person to make his/her own ROMs as well as own a NWC cart in order to figure out the specifications of what those ROMs would have to look like. Certainly no one is just going to give that sort of information away b/c it would drive the value of their NWC down.

To make an accurate repro, you would need:

- a grey or gold shell, wiped completely clean (easy)

- the appropriate looking label (not so easy, but doable)

- lookalike dipswitch dongle (if you're lucky, maybe you can order it from jameco or something)

- the appropriate board, an EVENT board, which is only found in, you guessed it, the NWC carts (HA!)

So if you're ever unsure of your NWC of purchase being a repro, ask them to open up the cart and give a new board pic. It would be possible to use a fullboard prototype (TKEPROM or whatnot) as a donor, but you can't hide the part name in a pic.

Btw, I own number #215. If that ever goes up for sale, it is most definitely a scam auction.

dave

[leonk]

Dave,

don't be so naive. If they have reproductions of satellite cards to get your free TV, how hard do you think it'll be to reproduce this game??

All a reproducer needs to do is get their hands on it, and it's game over.

- cart shells - easy as hell to get
- dip switches - a dime a dozen at digikey
- eprom images - on the net, or desolder NWC and dump it
- all the other IC's on the board can also be found on digikey
- MMC1 mapper - get it from the cart you're using the shell

All you're left with is requiring the PCB. But you already have that in the NWC. You can easily scan it into your PC, and use software to convert the scan into a PCB layout file (software from Eagle is very popular for this)

You then email the PCB layout file to one of the dozens of PCB production houses out there, and you'll get as many new PCB's as you want of the cart. Heck.. even the Nintendo logo can be placed on it for you!

Head over to NESDEV and see all the custom boards people already have cut by these places for just a few bucks a board!

[leonk]

oh.. forgot to mention.. for any would-be reproducer of the NWC...

you'll be able to dump the NWC back on the market (at the price you got it or even more).. wait 3 months, and start making a ton in selling the reporduction. LOL

I was thinking of doing something along those lines.. but figured it won't be worth my time to do so. Plus, I can imagine all the spam hate mail from all you NWC horders once this happens because your NWC value goes down to 200$.

[portnoyd]

You then email the PCB layout file to one of the dozens of PCB production houses out there, and you'll get as many new PCB's as you want of the cart. Heck.. even the Nintendo logo can be placed on it for you!

Head over to NESDEV and see all the custom boards people already have cut by these places for just a few bucks a board!

I did not know that. If it's so easy, why hasn't anyone done it already? At least it doesn't sound like someone can just pull this together overnight. You'd really need to know what you just told me to pull it off.

[D_N_G]

when you start making them leonk, consider this a preorder :D

[leonk]

I did not know that. If it's so easy, why hasn't anyone done it already? At least it doesn't sound like someone can just pull this together overnight. You'd really need to know what you just told me to pull it off.

Head over to NESDEV and talk to memblers on how hard it is to produce a PCB. If you know how to use photoshop, you're all set.

[portnoyd]

Head over to NESDEV and talk to memblers on how hard it is to produce a PCB. If you know how to use photoshop, you're all set.

So why hasn't anyone done it yet? Wasn't worth your time? To make a repro that people desire very much so?

[leonk]

So why hasn't anyone done it yet? Wasn't worth your time? To make a repro that people desire very much so?

Who knows.. I might do it one day. I guess it's the same reason I haven't reproduced test carts. I tend to reproduce things I want for myself. Reproductions is not a profitable business. I make more money per pay in my day job than I did the last year selling reproductions.

[mickoz]

Wow, I missed all those. I just check at completed item and I see two sold, 3600, 3200. Wow... how much were the grey going for before? I thought it was like 1500-2000$...

Of course that include other items... that guy had two, very interesting.

[Griking]

You then email the PCB layout file to one of the dozens of PCB production houses out there, and you'll get as many new PCB's as you want of the cart. Heck.. even the Nintendo logo can be placed on it for you!

Head over to NESDEV and see all the custom boards people already have cut by these places for just a few bucks a board!

I did not know that. If it's so easy, why hasn't anyone done it already? At least it doesn't sound like someone can just pull this together overnight. You'd really need to know what you just told me to pull it off.

My point was how do you know it hasn't already been done? There already have been a few new copies of this game appearing here and there with numbers that haven't been documented before.

And as far as this being difficult and time consuming to do, again for over $3500 a pop I'm sure that some people would feel that it's worth their time. Look at all the rom auctions up on eBay at any given time. As soon as someone who's a bit dishonest learns how to do it, watch out.

What I don't understand is how anyone believes that they can accurately document every legit copy of the game ever made. for all we know there could have been hundreds more copies made that were never used in the competition and for all we know they're sitting in a warehouse somewheres. the fact that the serial numbers range up into the 200s seems to back this theory up imho.

Again, I'd be VERY wary about paying full price for a copy of this game nowadays.

[jdchess]

I personally have pics of 14 different numbered NWC carts that, for the most part, have a traceable origin. Some are from previous NOA employees, such as the two that Ben Smith has sold on Ebay. I actually have 15 pics, but one of them has most of the front label torn off and the number is completely gone. If anyone has any that I don't have, please let me know as I would be happy to trade pics for ones you needed. The numbers I have pics of are...

0083
0087
0095
0137
0166
0168
0215
0227
0240
0273
0280
0283
0330
0343

I saw that number #0055 was mentioned earlier. Does anyone have a pic of this one?

[mickoz]

Maybe if some people begin to reasonate with history. The one given in the competition might be more appealing than other. However the other seem in better condition sometime. Woot.

[leonk]

Griking:

I fully agree with you.

It doesn't make sense that a company like Nintendo will not number the carts chronologically. I'm starting to believe that a lot of these carts were actually given to select employees.

A lot of stuff simply doesn't make it to eBay. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them are stuck in boxes in the basement or attic without the current owners knowing how much they're really worth!

As far as reproductions go. If a person decides to reproduce them and be sneaky about it, then yes.. they can make a ton more.

If I were to reproduce them, I'd use a custom new label, and I'd also redesign the PCB board to be smaller and more cost effective. i.e. the dip switch will be placed in a different spot (probably at the back the way it's done with camerica games). This will guarantee that no one will be able to resell the game as the original.

[Nesmaster]

If I were to reproduce them, I'd use a custom new label, and I'd also redesign the PCB board to be smaller and more cost effective. i.e. the dip switch will be placed in a different spot (probably at the back the way it's done with camerica games). This will guarantee that no one will be able to resell the game as the original.

That would put a big distinguishing mark between originals and would-be reproductions. Plus it would look just as slick to have in your collection :)

I know of a few people that think it would be slick to have an NWC just to have a competition among friends. I'd imagine these people would buy one since it's a really cheap alternative (me included :))

[Jumpman Jr.]

Although I wouldn't buy a repro NWC (I'm an origional guy), I would love to see repo's be made. Simply because I'm sure it would significantly decrease the amount of money I would have to pay for one.

[jajaja]

i dont think the value of an original NWC cart would drop even if someone made some reproduction carts. People dont pay ~$3500 to play it, they just want the real deal.

So even if there were reproductions of the NWC cart out there you would still have to pay a huge amount of money to get an original cart, unfortunatly.

[Bronty-2]

Griking:

I fully agree with you.

It doesn't make sense that a company like Nintendo will not number the carts chronologically. I'm starting to believe that a lot of these carts were actually given to select employees.

A lot of stuff simply doesn't make it to eBay. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them are stuck in boxes in the basement or attic without the current owners knowing how much they're really worth!

As far as reproductions go. If a person decides to reproduce them and be sneaky about it, then yes.. they can make a ton more.

If I were to reproduce them, I'd use a custom new label, and I'd also redesign the PCB board to be smaller and more cost effective. i.e. the dip switch will be placed in a different spot (probably at the back the way it's done with camerica games). This will guarantee that no one will be able to resell the game as the original.

I couldn't agree more. I'm no NWC expert, I've always preferred released games to event/promo stuff, but to think that nintendo would have produced serial #s on the carts but conveniently skipped some of the numbers is ridiculous, at least on the surface. The way I see it the minimum number out there is equal to the highest serial number known (+/- the gold copies).

[portnoyd]

I couldn't agree more. I'm no NWC expert, I've always preferred released games to event/promo stuff, but to think that nintendo would have produced serial #s on the carts but conveniently skipped some of the numbers is ridiculous, at least on the surface. The way I see it the minimum number out there is equal to the highest serial number known (+/- the gold copies).

I agree with that as well. What sense does it make to skip? If you actually had to keep track of these, what good would going from 62 to 78 do?

And we don't know if it's been done. How do we know if any are real?! Maybe they're all fake and it was a conspiracy and all the NWCs are fake! OH NOES!!11 OH SNAPES!!11

I'm going to default to the Which is More Likely test. Which is more likely: That the NWC auctions we're looking at are real or fake. That they are real, or they are carefully constructed fakes, using fresh cut boards, a cut shell, new labels, and in some cases, realistic cosmetic warping of the label.

Are fakes possible? Yes. But it doesn't seem likely. Since few people involved in this discussion are actually going to go for a real one, just assume the due dilligence to ask for a board scan and ask where they got it from to protect yourself.

If they go to leonk's level of detail and there's no way to tell them apart... well, if that bothers you so much, then don't persue one. :\

dave

[leonk]

I must point out one important thing.

EPROM pinout is not standard. All EPROMs we use today have a different pinout than those used by the NWC EProms!

So you'd be able to tell the difference between a repro and the real thing by tracing the pins. (unless of course some reproducer got a stash of old school eproms, at which point you're on your own!)

[udisi]

as for the number jumping i believe the story is that there were 500 made and used in the competition, (not sure on actual number), anyway 90 grey's were given away at the competitions themseleves to finalist people, the others were shipped back to Nintendo. at nintendo 26 of the greys were taken apart to make the 26 Gold carts( Nintendo power giveaway 25 first place winners and one Grand prize winner)...now after that that leaves 384 carts that were pobably supposed to be destroyed or locked in Nintendo somewhere. Now employees, or such may have gotton hold of some of these. I have yet to see a grey with a serial above 300 something. This would make me think if 500 hundred were produce why haven't we seen a 400 number. Anyway as for making a fake, i'm sure it's possible, but I have a Gold cart and have opened it and looked at the board. It's definitly not an easy job. For someone who has never seen a NWC cart up close, you might be able to pass a fake off, but for those who have one and have looked at it closely, I believe you'd be able to tell the real deal from a reproduction.

[jajaja]

I just noticed that the NWC auction that currenly lies on $6100 have had nearly 40000 hits. Sure, some are from the same people, but still impressive :)

[Bronty-2]

as for the number jumping i believe the story is that there were 500 made and used in the competition, (not sure on actual number), anyway 90 grey's were given away at the competitions themseleves to finalist people, the others were shipped back to Nintendo. at nintendo 26 of the greys were taken apart to make the 26 Gold carts( Nintendo power giveaway 25 first place winners and one Grand prize winner)...now after that that leaves 384 carts that were pobably supposed to be destroyed or locked in Nintendo somewhere. Now employees, or such may have gotton hold of some of these. I have yet to see a grey with a serial above 300 something. This would make me think if 500 hundred were produce why haven't we seen a 400 number. Anyway as for making a fake, i'm sure it's possible, but I have a Gold cart and have opened it and looked at the board. It's definitly not an easy job. For someone who has never seen a NWC cart up close, you might be able to pass a fake off, but for those who have one and have looked at it closely, I believe you'd be able to tell the real deal from a reproduction.

Thanks for the info - that's a good summary. I guess it's possible that the remaining 384 were destroyed but frankly I just don't believe it.

Let's look at it from nintendo's perspective... it's 1990 and they put on this event. They ship back the carts. There's probably a meeting scheduled in a week or two at nintendo to discuss whether the event was a hit or a miss, what the costs were, and whether it's worth doing again.

Why destroy the carts? You throw them in a locker until you know the answer to whether or not you're going to have another event in 1991.

So a month later you decide that's it, we're not having another.. do you destroy the carts now? Maybe - but again, why? Why not let the employees involved have them as keepsakes? Or let's say for some very arbitrary reason you decide to destroy them - who's to say the employee responsible didn't "destroy" them all the way to the trunk of his car?

Bottom line is I would feel very uncomfortable in the assumption that there are only 116 +/- out there. Who's to say there aren't 474? That's a pretty big difference when you're spending a couple k (or 6 now, apparently)..

[jajaja]

Unfortunatly I do belive that the remaining carts were destroyed :( I dont think they thought that those carts would be very valuable in the future.

At my dads old job, in their warehouse they destroyed old stuff just to make room for more. Not long ago I asked at a huge storechain here what they did with the games they didnt manage to sell. They said they threw them or shipped them back if they had a spesial arragement with the distrubitor.


EDIT: The NWC auction is down to $5700 now.

[Griking]

I would think that Nintendo would be more likely to give away extra promotional cartridges to employees and vendors than just destroy them. I believe that there's still a whole box of them out there somewhere sitting in a closet or warehouse.

[Bronty-2]

I would think that Nintendo would be more likely to give away extra promotional cartridges to employees and vendors than just destroy them. I believe that there's still a whole box of them out there somewhere sitting in a closet or warehouse.

That's exactly what I think. It may or may not be true, but I wouldn't want to pay 6k for one knowing there are hundreds of copies unaccounted for.

[Bronty-2]

I must point out one important thing.

EPROM pinout is not standard. All EPROMs we use today have a different pinout than those used by the NWC EProms!

So you'd be able to tell the difference between a repro and the real thing by tracing the pins. (unless of course some reproducer got a stash of old school eproms, at which point you're on your own!)

I think at these price levels someone will eventually do just that.. I used to collect comics and look at a related message board once in a while - and a collector there who was a printer by trade managed to reproduce an Action Comics 1 (first superman) in a pretty damn impressive way. Looking at it in-hand perhaps one might be able to tell, and it did look a little 'funny' in the scan - but all the tell tale signs of an authentic copy were there. He said it took him years to find the vintage 1930s newsprint but that he was eventually able to source it. If he can find 1930s newsprint and staples, I have no doubt someone can find some early 90s eproms.....

(PS the collector in question didn't attempt to sell the book, he just printed it for his own enjoyment).

[Insaneclown]

Ok...thats fucked up for an NES game. LOL


You could almost buy an original US Metal Slug 1 for Neo Geo AES. Well this game is worth $3000 USD +++

Prices for games are crazy nowadays.

[udisi]

I believe either idea is feasable. For one The carts could have been destroyed easily. The game itself uses eeproms , which could have been salvaged for other projects. Really back in 1990 there wasn't much of a hint to future value to these carts. the company pretty much thought they would be a neat prize for winners and the NP giveaway. other than that they had no other use for the carts. The same idea comes up when talking about other Nintendo special competitions they had such as Star Fox weekend. None of these were supoose to get out. Most of all of them came from TRU's that didn't send them back to nintendo like they were suppose to. DKC same type of deal, nintendo recollected them then sold 2500 of them through NP. other than that, Nintendo had no reason to keep them.

On the other hand it is quite feasable that after they had given out the 90 greys and 26 golds, that they let a few employees have some or that a few employees may have had access and "Borrowed" them. but I doubt that all the remaining copies were distributed to employees. which means that the majority of carts created are in one of 2 places.

1). A nintendo Warehouse somewhere
2). mushed up in tiny pieces in a landfill somewhere.


Just my 2 cents.

[udisi]

Double post

[8bitnes]

Well, one of the auctions was cancelled. I e-mailed the seller and he said he tested the game again and all he got was a scrambled image. I speculate that he got a private offer though.

[miaandjohnrule]

Well, one of the auctions was cancelled. I e-mailed the seller and he said he tested the game again and all he got was a scrambled image. I speculate that he got a private offer though.

The seller asked for my help. No private offers , the game really is broken. I tried to clean it and everything , same garbled screen. I wonder if it's worth anything non working.

[VG_Maniac]

The seller asked for my help. No private offers , the game really is broken. I tried to clean it and everything , same garbled screen. I wonder if it's worth anything non working.

I bet a good majority of people just want to have it, whether it works or not. I wouldn't mind having a broken one...I mean, it's better then nothing! Of course, it wouldn't be worth as much money.

The seller should try to see if Nintendo can fix it...as they do fix games. Even though the NWC cart is alot different then the average game...they are the ones who made it in the first place, so they should be able to fix it. Since you said you tried to fix it for him, and you live in Everett...I guess that means he also lives somewhere in the Puget Sound area. He could take the cart directly to Nintendo of America in Redmond. I had a friend who took a broken SNES game straight to Nintendo once, and they fixed it for him. He even got to play video games while he was waiting.

[Chronodriftersx]

I would think that Nintendo would be more likely to give away extra promotional cartridges to employees and vendors than just destroy them. I believe that there's still a whole box of them out there somewhere sitting in a closet or warehouse.


Nintendo let's employees buy some of the Kiosk cartridge demos as long as they decide not to throw them out for a time that they try to recollect from stores, at a nice low employee discount you know. I'm quite sure this was happening as ealy as early n64 production and possibly before that during SNES era. Not sure how much they've changed over the years so that's not saying volumes, actually.


starfox weekend...

I actually have a nintendo power where they're offering Starfox weekend in the front for $50

[miaandjohnrule]

The seller should try to see if Nintendo can fix it...as they do fix games.

I hope he does too. Some of the Eproms look a little damaged , I got some digital pics but they don't really show it too well. That's alot of $$ he's missing out on. But do you think they might try and keep it , saying it is their property?

[jdchess]

The auction that just got cancelled a couple of days ago was Ben Smith's auction. He was a Nintendo employee back in 1990 and was involved in the NWC.

[Chronodriftersx]

was that the broken, ahem, malfunctioned NWC? If not know why it was canned.

[udisi]

i wonder if the guy tried it on a top loader, as NWC carts Don't work on top loaders...Another thing is since the game is on eeproms it's feasable that bit rote may have killed the game.

[Bronty-2]

excuse my lack of technical knowledge on this stuff, but what's bit rot?

[Daria]

Heres an idea... If the cartridge is dead. He could always the game reburned to a new board and rehoused in the existing case. Worth as much as a real NWC? No. But surely worth more then a busted copy.

That is assuming NOA can't fix it for him.

[jdchess]

Has anyone heard anything about the cartridge that ended at $6100? I wonder if the money actually changed hands.

[wrldstrman]

Has anyone heard anything about the cartridge that ended at $6100? I wonder if the money actually changed hands.


been wondering the same thing

[miaandjohnrule]

UPDATE , the cart I tested DOES work on a front loader and as udisi pointed out the NWCs do not work on top loaders. Thanks for the info , I learn something new everyday. Also learned that I suck at the NWC games , I've got to practice. Great fun though.

[DreamTR]

The NWC works on a Generation NEX system, though! @_@

[BSmith]

UPDATE , the cart I tested DOES work on a front loader and as udisi pointed out the NWCs do not work on top loaders. Thanks for the info , I learn something new everyday. Also learned that I suck at the NWC games , I've got to practice. Great fun though.

I have to take a minute here and express my appreciation to John for all his help with the cart. THANK YOU JOHN!!

He went well out of his way to help me resolve the scrambling problem.

First he responded to a craigslist posting I had done asking for another NES deck to test the game in. He stopped by early and we tested it and it scrambled on his deck. Both decks it was tested in were top loading.

I was in the middle of a big upgrade and super busy and didn't have the time to address the issues so I ended the auction believing the cart was not working and figured I'd get back to it once I caught up.

John called me again last night and said he read something on a gaming forum (turned out it was this one) and suspected incompatibility with the TL decks and brought over his front loader NES to confirm it. Sure enough it works now. Thank you John!! I owe ya. Remember your first visit you had mentioned you should have brought your front loader? We should have tried it. Oh well.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it from here, just now catching my breath and looking forward to a weekend of being lazy. :-)

I also owe a big THANK YOU to udisi who suggested the TL/FL issue. Thanks man!!

I am in awe of the passion and enthusiasm everyone on this forum has and shows for gaming, especially retro gaming. It's cool to see probably the best era in gaming kept alive and well.

Ben Smith

[Bronty-2]

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the post. I love the fact that these boards can bring out people like you that actually lived through these things that we talk about. How cool is that!

Do you have any other insights as to the NWC event itself? I think I speak for everyone when I say that I would love to hear any anecdotes from someone who was there first hand 8-)

In particular, I'd be very interested as to any insights you might have as to whether the remaining grey carts were destroyed or salvaged.

If you wish to avoid a public reply (re possibly prejudicing a future sale) please pm me.

Great to hear from you; welcome to the boards.

thanks
Dan Maresca

[NintendoMan]

Looks to be in MINT MINT MINT condition. I WISH i have a few extra thousand to blow on it!
I just wonder how much the GOLD version would go for knowadays!!???

[udisi]

Np Glad to be of service all.

[VG_Maniac]

In particular, I'd be very interested as to any insights you might have as to whether the remaining grey carts were destroyed or salvaged.

I emailed Nintendo awhile back and asked them if there were any grey carts other then the 90 used at the events and if so...if they were destroyed or stored away in a warehouse. I don't have the email they sent back to me saved anymore, but their reply was something like this:

There were no other grey carts produced other then the ones used in the events. There would have been no need for any more. And as for you thinking we might have some stored away in a warehouse...you've been watching to much Raiders of the Lost Ark!

Well...I guess that answers the question that there weren't any extra carts that were destroyed or stored away.

[8bitnes]

In particular, I'd be very interested as to any insights you might have as to whether the remaining grey carts were destroyed or salvaged.

I emailed Nintendo awhile back and asked them if there were any grey carts other then the 90 used at the events and if so...if they were destroyed or stored away in a warehouse. I don't have the email they sent back to me saved anymore, but their reply was something like this:

There were no other grey carts produced other then the ones used in the events. There would have been no need for any more. And as for you thinking we might have some stored away in a warehouse...you've been watching to much Raiders of the Lost Ark!

Well...I guess that answers the question that there weren't any extra carts that were destroyed or stored away.

I don't think you understand why the speculation exists that there were more than 90. Wasn't the case that at local competitions people got to practice with a cart for a few days beforehand? That same cart was the one they used in the competition. Anyhow, only the finalists got to keep their carts which means several others (from the losers) had to return cartridges.

[Bronty-2]

Besides, the person that emailed you might not have really known anything about the event...

[BSmith]

I don't think you understand why the speculation exists that there were more than 90. Wasn't the case that at local competitions people got to practice with a cart for a few days beforehand? That same cart was the one they used in the competition. Anyhow, only the finalists got to keep their carts which means several others (from the losers) had to return cartridges.

I'm not sure if I understand what you are saying about the local competitions and practicing and the losers having to return carts, but the only way they could practice was to pay to enter and then line up at one of the pratice competition pods.

If we knew how many gaming pods they had set up (I just don't remember) for the competitors then you'd have a better idea of how many carts were made. There were enough NWC games on hand for all of the practice pods and the competition stage and some extras in case of defects. The only NWC games ever touched were by NOA crew or the finalists who each received one.

I know we had some games stolen at the events, but I don't think it was the NWC carts. It was mostly the games in the cabinets on the powerwalk and the surrounding areas. They would kick in the cabinet door at closing, take the prototype and leave. It got to the point that just before closing, the NOA employees and Mega crew would line up, with one person every few feet so we could watch all the gaming cabinets to prevent thefts. LOL we were just waiting to tackle someone.

Don't know if this helps.

[BSmith]

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the post. I love the fact that these boards can bring out people like you that actually lived through these things that we talk about. How cool is that!

Do you have any other insights as to the NWC event itself? I think I speak for everyone when I say that I would love to hear any anecdotes from someone who was there first hand 8-)

In particular, I'd be very interested as to any insights you might have as to whether the remaining grey carts were destroyed or salvaged.

If you wish to avoid a public reply (re possibly prejudicing a future sale) please pm me.

Great to hear from you; welcome to the boards.

thanks
Dan Maresca

Hey Dan. Thanks I appreciate it.

I'd be more than happy to try and answer any questions or to share any experiences of my tenure in the gaming industry and the NWC.

I've always thought of those ten years as just a really cool job and a fun period in my life. I never felt like I was a part of "gaming history" or anything. I figured the NES and NWC were ancient news until I got in contact with RBrudrick a few months ago. I don't mind reliving my "15 minutes" and I enjoy the enthusiasm you all have.

I have about 5 rolls of pics that cover my ten weeks with the NWC. About 70 percent of them are tourist style pics of the local cities and such but I have a few of the actual event. I'd like to get them scanned to jpgs but haven't had the time and just found out my scanner doesn't work.

Would those be of interest to anyone here? If so I'll bump it up on my priority list.

Anyway, thanks for the welcome and it's nice to be a part of this forum.

Now I just gotta get my profile and sig and all that set up so I don't look like a noob. :-)

[Bronty-2]

Those pics would definitely be of interest - sounds awesome!! Thanks Ben.

Say Ben... so the finalists received grey carts, what did the winner of the NWC receive? Anything special?

cheers

[jajaja]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8219419765

Winning bid: US $4,275.87

Not bad :)
Same guy also won a complete Caltron for $499. He must have alot of cash..

http://cgi.ebay.com/NES-Caltron-6-in-1-Nintendo-NES-6-in-1_W0QQitemZ8220066368QQcategoryZ62053QQssPageNameZ WDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[rbudrick]

The NWC works on a Generation NEX system, though!

That rules, DreamTR!

As for the discussion at the beginning about reproducing the NWC carts...good luck. The custom board is easy enough, but I do believe there was a custom mapper on there too. The EEPROMS in every cart I've seen the inside on were the exact same brand and model number...and were all beat up a bit too.,..looks like they were used for other projects previously.

For anyone that missed Ben's tale of the NWC, see this post:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=68555&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Also, if everyone doesn't know it yet, I have actually begun a project to do exactly what many collectors have always wanted...an archive of the carts, their numbers, and who originally owned them. It has been very painstaking, but it has so far been very successful. I have so far tracked down about 6 finalists and folks like Ben. More info is truly pouring in to my email box every day and it has been a bit overwhelming. So, if you have a the contact info of any finalists, or Howard Phillips, heh heh, please contact me. This project has produced great info in a very short amount of time. I now have a list of all the finalists and am slowly tracking them down one by one. The enthusiasm of the people I have found has been great, and I am collecting interviews with them all. It's a massive undertaking, but it has been great fun. Without Ben, I don't think I ever would have had the cojones to start this. Thanks, Ben!

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far!!

-Rob

[mickoz]

How about... * The CojoNES project *.

(from dictionary.com)
Main Entry: cojones
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: courage
Etymology: Spanish cojon `testicle'
Usage: slang

Ha! it is like "you got no ball" expression (which is also used in french). Therefore when you have ball, you have courage. Make sense. ;-)

[rbudrick]

LOL LOL LOL

I think there was an emulator from around 1997 or so called CojoNES, so I couldn't really steal it. Funny idea though. How about CojoNWC. Nah....that doesn't work so well either, heh heh.

BTW, Mckoz, cojones, while a Spanish word, is often used in English as slang. Like Taco (evil innuendo there).

And now back to your regularly scheduled topic.

-Rob

[mickoz]

Yeah, when I saw that... I also remembered there was an emulator. That is where I saw the word. But I never looked up the definition. Now I will probably remember ;-)

Next time I want to insult someone in da english ghetto of my hometown, I'm gonna spit: "You ain't got no cojon gringo, STFU."

Now when you hunt them down, if some wanna part with them, be sure to told them mickoz want their cart. :D It was probably an occasion lately, but the price was kinda sick.

[DreamTR]

I have the contact info for Howard Phillips. I'll give it to you for free if you SELL me Mickey Mouse :P

[rbudrick]

Aww, that's cold, D! You know I'll never sell it, heh heh. However, if for your own curiosity you'd like to ask Howie how many of the NWC carts were made, that would rule. I'm sure I could cal M$ where he works now and find him...I just didn't think he'd respond, heh heh.

Of course, if you wanna stop by some time and play it, you are more than welcome. :D I sure would like to dump it for all though...

-Rob

[Insaneclown]

That price hurts my nads. :(

[silver_surfer]

The NWC has been reproduced already, I think it was on the Cherry Roms forums about 2 years ago there was a user there flapping his mouth about how he had made them and actully sold some also and that no one would ever be able to tell the difference, ect. I hope it's not true but no one there was doubting him IIRC, they were just kinda pissed that he was making them. Was he full of shit? I hope so. Is it possible he did make some and sell a few also? You never know.

[rbudrick]

The NWC has been reproduced already, I think it was on the Cherry Roms forums about 2 years ago there was a user there flapping his mouth about how he had made them and actully sold some also and that no one would ever be able to tell the difference, ect. I hope it's not true but no one there was doubting him IIRC, they were just kinda pissed that he was making them. Was he full of shit? I hope so. Is it possible he did make some and sell a few also? You never know.

Interesting. I'll ask Kyuusaku about that...he seems to know everything that happens in that area of the web...

-Rob